The policy that is being worked is the Tillerson policy, Trump’s comments notwithstanding,” a State Department official told the Washington Post in June.

Tillerson was equally frank in disagreeing with President Trump’s decision to withdraw from the Paris climate accord in June 2017.

Rumors continue to swirl that Trump is talking to foreign leaders and looking for a way to return to the Paris accords with a renegotiated American position, despite his continuing public criticism of the deal.

However, Tillerson made a trip to Latin America in February that was seen as out-of-step with Trump policies in several respects, including Tillerson’s praise for the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), which Trump has called “the worst trade deal ever.”

Tillerson also directly contradicted the president on drug trafficking, praising Mexico for its efforts to interdict drug smuggling within hours of Trump criticizing them for “pouring” drugs into the United States.